SINGAPORE: Ria 897 Danial Shahrin, 28, and his wife Athifah, 31, canceled their build-to-order (BTO) flat application last 2020 after construction was delayed.
Even though the couple managed to secure their dream home back in 2018 – a BTO flat consists of five rooms – they decided to give it up due to the coming of Adam, their son.
The BTO flat was supposed to be ready by the first half of 2022. However, there was a problem with its construction and was delayed not once, but thrice. Back then, Danial and his wife had been living with his Athifah’s parents and occupying a four-room flat. With the news of their upcoming child, they really needed their own place.
Unfortunately, their appeals to cancel the BTO flat were dropped. It was only during their third time submitting all the documents needed that their cancellation had been approved – which took four months.
In order for the couple to receive the 15% BTO downpayment of around $26,000, they had to buy a resale flat.
“I rarely read through my personal emails, and by the time I realized the appeal had been approved, it was one month in! HDB takes around three months to process a purchase, so that meant that we only had two months to find a house. We were in a very dire situation,” Danial says in an interview with 8 Days.
Danial and Athifah finally bought a flat in Pasir Ris, which includes five-rooms as well. Their purchase had been approved two weeks before the given three month deadline.
Moreso, the couple bargained and bought the house from $580,000 to $530,000 – the market price of the area at that time.
“The previous owner had already found another place, so he was in a hurry to sell this flat. He also wanted a three-month extension, so I told him to give me a better price,” explained Danial in his interview.
Their new home is only a five-minute walk from the house of Athifah’s parents. The 1,324 sq ft space is bright, spacious and corner unit.